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to ally with them. And having sent George Tagaris, the megas stratopedarches, to Saruchan, the satrap of Lydia, for he had also been an acquaintance of his before, having spent a long time with his father at Philadelphia, they begged him to help them and to send an army against the emperor. And he was at once persuaded and sent out the force with Tagaris. But Umur, when he learned that Saruchan's army was marching against the emperor, was indignant and considered some plan by which it would be possible to help his friend. And having chosen two of his distinguished men, whom he knew would best carry out his will, he sent them out, having provided two thousand soldiers, as if to cross over to Thrace together with Saruchan's army. For it is a custom for these barbarians, when they go on a raid, if any from another satrapy wish to join them, not to prevent them, but even to be grateful, as to friends and allies. And Umur ordered the commanders sent 2.592 by him, that if Saruchan's army were to be reconciled with the emperor—for they thought they would persuade the emperor to put an end to the war against him and to become an ally—they should not reveal the secret, but come to the emperor with the others. but if they should wish to fight in earnest, they were to send secretly to the emperor and advise him to draw up in battle array against the barbarians. And when they were drawn up in battle array and were already about to engage, they were to desert to the emperor and march against the barbarians with his army. Thus Umur ordered the commanders of the army, with no one else being privy to the secret. And he ordered the soldiers to obey the commanders in everything and no one to be meddlesome, for if anyone did not obey, he and his family would be destroyed. Having contrived such things, Umur sent out the army with the others. But Tagaris, the megas stratopedarches, all 2.593 against him. However, they offered some better hopes as well. And the leaders of Umur's army revealed the secret to the emperor and advised him to be of good courage and to prepare for battle, if they should advance. The envoys, therefore, returning as quickly as possible, reported to the emperor the message from the Persians. And he himself also prepared to fight, if it should be necessary. For he no longer took any account of the others, since those men were about to desert to him in the line of battle. And a little later the others also, having come to an agreement, sent a joint embassy to the emperor, telling him to be of good courage, as they would be allies and friends. And they begged him not to compel them to come to him for the present; but after going to Byzantium to the empress and receiving gifts and the promised money for their satrap, to return to him and to do all that was commanded. The barbarians, therefore, having such a plan, came to Byzantium. And the generals, entering before the empress, did obeisance and received gifts from her lavishly, and the rulers of the Byzantines made an agreement with the Persians, that they themselves, having sent triremes from the sea, should prevent Orhan from helping the emperor, and they themselves from the mainland, having encamped around Selymbria, should wage war, until they should capture it by siege and those with him. For they hoped that the Selymbrians too, if they should see a great force from land and sea, would revolt against the emperor and surrender the city to them. And the triremes were immediately fitted out. 2.594 And the Persian force intended, if a Roman cavalry force should also accompany them, to enslave everyone. And they informed the emperor Kantakouzenos, if such a thing would be pleasing to do. But he forbade it, claiming that he himself would be wronged, if they dared such things. For a little later those men would be his soldiers. They therefore refrained from that, and did not even wait for them to prepare and come with them. But on their return from Byzantium towards Selymbria, they enslaved all whom they encountered and did no little damage because the people around Byzantium trusted them as friends and allies. But when to

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συμμαχεῖν αὐτοῖς. καὶ πέμψαντες Τάγαριν Γεώργιον τὸν μέγαν στραδοπεδάρχην πρὸς Σαρχάνην τὸν Λυδίας σατράπην, ἦν γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ συνήθης πρότερον ἐπὶ Φιλαδέλφειαν πολὺν χρόνον τῷ πατρὶ συνδιατρίψαντι, ἐδέοντο σφίσι βοηθεῖν καὶ πέμπειν κατὰ βασιλέως στρατιάν. ὁ δὲ αὐτίκα τε ἐπείθετο καὶ συνεξέπεμπε τῷ Τάγαρι τὴν δύναμιν. Ἀμοὺρ δὲ, ὡς ἐπύθετο τὴν Σαρχάνη στρατιὰν χωροῦσαν κατὰ βασιλέως, δεινὰ ἐποιεῖτο καὶ ἐπίνοιάν τινα ἐσκέπτετο, δι' ἧς ἐξέσται τῷ φίλῳ βοηθεῖν. καὶ ἀπολεξάμενος δύο τῶν παρ' αὐτῷ ἐπιφανῶν, οὓς ᾔδει μάλιστα τὰ κατὰ γνώμην πράξοντας, ἐξέπεμπε καὶ δισχιλίους στρατιώτας παρασχόμενος, ὡς ἅμα τῇ Σαρχάνη στρατιᾷ περαιωθησομένους πρὸς τὴν Θρᾴκην. ἔθος γὰρ τούτοις τοῖς βαρβάροις, ὅταν ἐπὶ λεηλασίαν ἴωσιν, ἄν τινες ἐξ ἑτέρας σατραπείας ἐθέλωσι συνέπεσθαι, μὴ κωλύειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰδέναι χάριν, ὡς φίλοις καὶ συμμάχοις. ἐκέλευε δὲ Ἀμοὺρ τοῖς παρ' ἑαυτοῦ πεμ 2.592 φθεῖσιν ἄρχουσιν, ὡς ἂν μὲν διαλλάττοιτο πρὸς βασιλέα ἡ Σαρχάνη στρατιὰ, οἴεσθαι γὰρ αὐτοὺς βασιλέα πείσειν κατατίθεσθαι τὸν πρὸς ἐκεῖνον πόλεμον καὶ συμμαχεῖν, μηδ' αὐτοὺς ἀποκαλύπτειν τὸ ἀπόῤῥητον, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα ἥκειν. ἂν δ' ἐθέλωσιν ἐκεῖνοι πολεμεῖν ὡς ἀληθῶς, κρύφα πέμψαντας πρὸς βασιλέα παραινεῖν αὐτῷ ἀντικαθίστασθαι πρὸς μάχην τοῖς βαρβάροις. ἐπειδὰν δὲ ὦσι παρατεταγμένοι καὶ ἤδη μέλλωσι συμπλέκεσθαι, μεθίστασθαι πρὸς βασιλέα καὶ χωρεῖν κατὰ τῶν βαρβάρων μετὰ τῆς ἐκείνου στρατιᾶς. τοῖς μὲν οὖν ἄρχουσι τῆς στρατιᾶς οὕτω προσέταττεν Ἀμοὺρ, μηδενὸς αὐτοῖς ἑτέρου συνειδότος τὸ ἀπόῤῥητον. τοῖς στρατιώταις δὲ ἐκέλευε πάντα πείθεσθαι τοῖς ἄρχουσι καὶ μηδένα πολυπραγμονεῖν, ὡς, εἴ τις μὴ πείθοιτο, αὐτοῦ καὶ γένους διαφθαρησομένου. τοιαῦτα μὲν ὁ Ἀμοὺρ συσκευάσας, μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων συνεξέπεμπε τὴν στρατιάν. Τάγαρις δὲ ὁ μέγας στρατοπεδάρχης πάν2.593 κατ' αὐτοῦ. ὅμως δέ τινας καὶ χρηστοτέρας παρείχοντο ἐλπίδας. οἱ τῆς Ἀμοὺρ δὲ στρατιᾶς ἡγούμενοι ἐμήνυον τὸ ἀπόῤῥητον τῷ βασιλεῖ καὶ παρῄνουν τε θαῤῥεῖν καὶ παρασκευάζεσθαι πρὸς μάχην, ἂν ἐπίωσιν. οἱ μὲν οὖν πρέσβεις τάχιστα ἐπανελθόντες ἀπήγγελλον βασιλεῖ τὰ παρὰ τῶν Περσῶν. καὶ παρεσκευάζετο καὶ αὐτὸς ὡς μαχούμενος, ἢν δέῃ. οὐδένα γὰρ ἤδη τῶν ἄλλων ἐποιεῖτο λόγον, μελλόντων ἐκείνων πρὸς αὐτὸν μεθίστασθαι ἐπὶ τῆς παρατάξεως. μετὰ μικρὸν δὲ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι συμφωνήσαντες κοινὴν ἐποιήσαντο πρεσβείαν πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, φάσκοντες θαῤῥεῖν, ὡς ἔσονται σύμμαχοι καὶ φίλοι. ἐδέοντο δὲ αὐτοῦ μὴ τὸ νῦν ἔχον ἀναγκάζειν ἥκειν πρὸς αὐτόν· ἀλλ' ἀπελθόντας εἰς Βυζάντιον πρὸς βασιλίδα καὶ δῶρα δεξαμένους καὶ τὰ ἐπηγγελμένα χρήματα τῷ σφῶν σατράπῃ ἐπανήκειν πρὸς αὐτὸν, καὶ πάντα τὰ κελευόμενα ποιεῖν. οἱ μὲν οὖν βάρβαροι γνώμην ἔχοντες τοιαύτην ἧκον εἰς Βυζάντιον. καὶ οἱ στρατηγοὶ πρὸς βασιλίδα εἰσελθόντες προσεκύνουν τε καὶ ἐδέχοντο δῶρα παρ' ἐκείνης φιλοτίμως, συνέβαινόν τε οἱ τῶν Βυζαντίων ἄρχοντες τοῖς Πέρσαις, ἵν' αὐτοὶ μὲν ἐκ θαλάσσης τριήρεις πέμψαντες κωλύσωσιν Ὀρχάνην βασιλεῖ μὴ βοηθεῖν, αὐτοὶ δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἠπείρου περιστρατοπεδευσάμενοι Σηλυμβρίαν πολεμῶσιν, ἄχρις ἂν ἐκπολιορκήσωσιν αὐτὴν καὶ τοὺς συνόντας. ἤλπιζον γὰρ καὶ Σηλυμβριανοὺς, ἂν μεγάλην δύναμιν ἐκ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης ἴδωσι, διαστασιάσειν πρὸς βασιλέα καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἐκείνοις παραδώσειν. καὶ ὡπλίζοντο αὐτίκα αἱ τριήρεις. 2.594 τὸ Περσικὸν δὲ διενοοῦντο, εἰ καὶ Ῥωμαίων ἱππικὴ στρατιὰ συνέποιτο αὐτοῖς, πάντας ἐξανδραποδίζειν. ἐμήνυόν τε βασιτεῖ τῷ Καντακουζηνῷ, εἰ καθ' ἡδονὴν τὸ τοιοῦτον εἴη πράττειν. ὁ δ' ἐκώλυεν, αὐτὸς ἰσχυριζόμενος ἀδικεῖσθαι, ἂν τοιαῦτα τολμῶσιν. ὀλίγῳ γὰρ ὕστερον αὐτοῦ τοὺς στρατιώτας ἔσεσθαι ἐκείνους. ἐκείνου μὲν οὖν ἀπέσχοντο, καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνέμειναν παρασκευασαμένους σὺν αὐτοῖς ἐλθεῖν. ἀναστρέφοντες δὲ ἐκ Βυζαντίου πρὸς Σηλυμβρίαν, πάντας ἠνδραπόδιζον τοὺς προστυχόντας καὶ ἐζημίωσαν οὐκ ὀλίγα διὰ τὸ θαῤῥεῖν αὐτοῖς τοὺς περὶ τὸ Βυζάντιον, ὡς φίλοις καὶ συμμάχοις. ἐπεὶ δὲ εἰς